If there is one Swiss resort whose name has become synonymous with style and success it is St Moritz. For many travellers, that’s good enough reason to avoid the place. But the resort in the Engadine region is an important hub in the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) network and thus a good base for exploring eastern Switzerland. The position of St Moritz makes it a popular stopover on rail journeys across the Alps to Italy via the Bernina route.

You don’t need to be a paid-up member of the jet set to enjoy St Moritz. The best part of town is St Moritz Dorf. The word ‘Dorf’ means village, but don’t expect cowbells and wooden chalets. It is a densely packed tumble of concrete on a hillside well above the railway station. A very smart elevator runs up from the station to the centre of St Moritz Dorf without any risk of you having to burn a calorie. Don’t feel guilty; there are plenty of non-sporty types in St Moritz.

For rail links to the wider world, St Moritz relies entirely on RhB’s red narrow-gauge trains, many of which can be booked here on Loco2. St Moritz is the jumping-off point for the wonderful Bernina rail route to Tirano in Italy. There are 10 to 12 departures each day on this route. The celebrated Glacier Express leaves from St Moritz on its eight-hour journey to Zermatt. The Glacier Express runs all year bar for a seven-week autumn break.

Among the regular local RhB departures from St Moritz are hourly trains to Klosters, Filisur (for Davos), Landquart and Chur. There are good connections at Chur with Swiss Railways main-line trains to Zurich and beyond.